Britain's 50 best dressed men

Who are Britain’s best-dressed men? Which look best defines the essence of British style? Britain’s 50 Best Dressed Men showcased the nation's most fabulous fellows, from quintessential English gentlemen to sexy Scots.

Carefully selected from Getty Images Gallery’s comprehensive photographic collections and GQ magazine’s editorial archive, the exhibition was a fascinating assortment - an eclectic mix of the male personalities defining the moods and attitudes of men’s fashion through the eras.

Do you favour the caddish, lounge-lizard style of Oliver Reed and Terry Thomas or the bespectacled sophistication of Peter Sellers and Jarvis Cocker? Either way, this exhibition challenged perceptions of what makes the British man ‘cool’.

The photos, wittily captioned by the writers at GQ, covered all aspects of male fashion from smartly-tailored cuts to the downright flamboyant. Picked for their individual sense of style and carriage, the chosen few displayed the timeless quirks that make them ever popular with the public. Where else could you find Johnny Rotten next to Winston Churchill, Adam Ant next to David Niven, and Ewan McGregor alongside Alec Guinness?

Acknowledgements

Britain's 50 Best Dressed Men exhibition was organised by Getty Images Gallery in association with GQ magazine.

Britain’s 50 Best Dressed Men originally appeared in May 2004 edition of GQ Magazine, published by Conde Nast.

Getty Images Gallery is the world’s leading imagery company, creating and providing the largest and most relevant collection of still and moving images to communication professionals around the world.